Archives for September 2022

What You Need to Know About Heart Disease

Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States and all over the world? Heart disease accounts for 697,000 deaths in the United States in 2020 alone. In addition, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 17 million people worldwide succumb to the disease every year.

Whether you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease and you want to keep yourself from becoming a statistic, or you recognize the importance of being proactive about your cardiovascular health, knowledge is key. Below are some of the things you need to know about the deadly condition.

Causes

The term “heart disease” encompasses various disorders and diseases that affect the structure and function of the heart and its blood vessels. The causes, therefore, vary depending on the specific type of cardiovascular disease.

Below are the most common types of heart disease along with some of their causes:

  • Arrhythmia – high blood pressure, excessive alcohol or caffeine intake, coronary artery disease, use of certain medications, hypertension, etc.
  • Heart failure – hypertension, damage to the heart valves, inflammation of the heart muscle, heart attack, etc.
  • Coronary artery disease – high cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, smoking, etc.

How to Reduce Your Risk for Heart Disease

Heart disease is partly hereditary, in that your risk increases if someone in your family also suffers from it.

If you are concerned about your heart health and want to reduce your risk for the disease, below are some things you can do:

  • Getting regular exercise
  • Eating a healthy diet
  • Quitting smoking
  • Managing stress
  • Seeing your primary care provider regularly

Treatment for Heart Disease

Outlined below are the methods by which primary care providers treat heart disease:

  • Lifestyle changes – Healthy food choices (low-salt and low-fat diet); engaging in regular physical activity; managing stress; getting good sleep; and not smoking are all crucial for effective heart disease management.
  • Medications – There are many different types of medications used for treating heart disease. These include beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, statins, and more. Your primary care provider will work with you to find the right medication for your specific condition.
  • Use of cardiac devices –Types of implantable cardiac devices include pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), stents, and artificial heart valves.
  • Surgery – Surgery is often necessary for complex heart conditions or those that don’t respond to nonsurgical treatment.

There are various types of surgical interventions for heart disease. These include coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), angioplasty/stenting procedures, valve replacement surgery, and transplantation.

Heart Disease Treatment and Management in Wellington, FL

It’s time take to take “matters of the heart” seriously! Whether you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease and you need a primary care provider to help you effectively manage your condition, or you think you’re at risk for the condition and need a comprehensive evaluation, our team is here for you.

At Advanced Medical, our board-certified primary care providers – Dr. Ishan Gunawardene, an internal medicine provider; and Shariffa Gunawardene, a family nurse practitioner – recognize that patient education is an essential component of cardiovascular care. Thus, in addition to providing first-rate medical management, we delight in sharing useful information, which empowers patients to make the wisest decisions to stay on top of their cardiovascular health.

To schedule an appointment with one of our providers, call our primary care clinic today at (561) 434-1935 or use our convenient online appointment request form.

Hypertension: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hypertension affects roughly 47 percent of the American adult population, and about 400,000 people succumb to the condition every year.

A person is considered hypertensive if their blood pressure chronically exceeds 130/80 mmHg, Hypertension puts anyone at a greater risk for potentially life-threatening complications, such as heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and sudden cardiac death.

Whether you suspect that you have hypertension or you have the risk factors for it (e.g., diabetes, excess weight problem, or unhealthy lifestyle habits), knowledge is crucial for keeping it under control and maintaining your quality of life.

Below, we’ve provided some information about hypertension, particularly its causes, symptoms, and treatment to give you a better understanding of this deadly condition.

Causes of Hypertension

Hypertension is broken down into two types: primary (essential) and secondary. The potential causes of high blood pressure vary, depending on the type, as outlined below:

  • Primary hypertension – This type has no identifiable cause but is thought to be linked to a sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, genetics, and obesity.
  • Secondary hypertension – This type is ascribed to other medical conditions, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), thyroid problems, kidney disease, or adrenal gland tumors.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Hypertension

Hypertension has been dubbed by experts “the silent killer” and for a good reason: a person can have hypertension for years and not know it. It often doesn’t have symptoms, and if it does, they are often mistakenly attributed to other conditions.

If you experience the following, see your primary care provider for a blood pressure check:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest pain
  • Dizziness or lightheadedness
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Severe headache
  • Nose bleeds
  • Swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, and abdomen
  • Vision problems
  • Fatigue
  • Anxiety

Symptoms to Watch Out For

Hypertension requires vigilance to prevent hypertensive crisis, a medical emergency characterized by a sudden and severe increase in blood pressure. This is usually caused by nonadherence to the treatment plan, severe stress or anxiety, and other conditions.

Below are the common signs and symptoms of a hypertensive crisis. If you experience any or some of these, time is of the essence – go to your nearest emergency room or call 911 for prompt intervention.

  • Blood pressure of 180/120 or higher
  • Nosebleeds
  • Seizures
  • Severe chest pain, especially if it occurs with sweating, nausea or vomiting, rapid heartbeats, shortness of breath, etc.
  • Sudden or severe headache, especially if accompanied by blurred vision and/or unilateral paralysis of the face or extremities

Treatment for Hypertension

Managing hypertension involves routine screenings, monitoring and coordinating treatment, checkups, and patient education.

Medications are the mainstay of treatment for hypertension. Your primary care provider may prescribe a diuretic (medications to expel excess salt and water from the body) or a combination of a diuretic and either an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor (medication to relax your blood vessels) or a beta-blocker (medication to lower your blood pressure).

Your family medicine provider will also likely give you dietary and lifestyle recommendations, such as the following, to ensure your condition is properly managed:

  • Consuming a low-fat and low-sodium diet
  • Engaging in regular physical activity
  • Lowering or avoiding caffeine and alcohol intake altogether
  • Managing stress levels
  • Monitoring your blood pressure at home
  • Quitting smoking
  • Visiting your primary care provider regularly

Hypertension Treatment in Wellington, FL

For top-notch hypertension treatment and management in the Wellington, Florida area, visit us here at Advanced Medical. Our team is led by two board-certified primary care providers who are best known for their comprehensive and compassionate approach to care and commitment to guiding patients along the path to optimal health and wellness.

To schedule an appointment with one of our providers, call our office today at (561) 434-1935 or use our convenient online appointment request form.